Last #BlackoutDay was our #Blackout: Rewind Dec 6th, 2018. It was also our last quarterly celebration.

Next #BlackoutDay: Anniversary

11Days

7Hours

32Mins

20Secs

What's Blackout Day?

The #Blackout is the name of the movement behind the hashtag #BlackoutDay (#blackout on Tumblr), a quarterly call-to-action to (re)define Blackness that takes place on the 6th day of every third month starting from March 6th. This is our way of talking about Blackness and how we can see ourselves regardless of age, background, size, gender, etc.. We welcome you to help define Blackness on your own terms simply by being yourself and showing us what you can do.

\ About the #Blackout Team

Current Team Members

Marissa Rei (aka Mars) CEO / PR Manager

Originally the one to give The Blackout its name during it’s initial stages, Marissa has taken on the responsibility of leading the movement. A Psychology B.A. graduate of NYU, she currently serves as The Blackout’s CEO and PR Manager. Her main duties include managing interview requests, monitoring the movement’s reception, and acting as spokesperson on behalf of the team.

Her Social Media knowledge and instincts have made her an effective leader and have been vital to the movement’s growing relevance.

nukirk created all promo artwork, including the social media logos used during the first year, which was also instrumental in fostering viral support for the movement. nukirk accidentally translated “The Blackout” as “BlackoutDay”, which became the known hashtag outside of Tumblr. He networked with influential social media users to help popularize it.

He’s currently the person drafting and executing ideas for visuals, branding, tech support for web issues, as well as outreach in unique situations.

Legacy Member

T’von Green

Green contributed the “selfie day” idea that inspired the initial movement. During the movement’s first year, he helped establish it’s key principles. After the first #BlackoutDay, he left his leadership role and stayed on as consultant until Jan 2016, where he decided to leave the project to focus on personal aspirations.

The current team continues to wish him luck in his personal endeavors!

Past Contributors

Temitayo “Tayo” Fayemi Creator of the past version of the #BlackoutDay Logo

\ Common FAQs

We know you got questions, so here's a list of our most FAQs. If it isn't here, chances are, it's in our Extend Guidelines!

What is #TheBlackout

#TheBlackout is the original hashtag of the movement and now serves as the name of the team behind #BlackoutDay. The name is also use as an alternative hashtag from #BlackoutDay and #Blackout.

From March 2015 to January 2016, the team consisted of the three original creators: Marissa Rei, who has taken on leadership of the movement, T’von Green, who contributed the original selfie day idea, and nukirk, the curator being WhatWhitesWillNeverKnow, who served as the host of the first #BlackoutDay promotion, runs visual promotions and serves as the promoter on most of the social networks.

T’von Green retired from the project after the December 2015 and is acknowledged as a legacy member.

The current active team members are Marissa Rei and nukirk.

How can I take part on #BlackoutDay?

If you’re identify as Black, either from Africa or from within the African Diaspora, mixed (or part) Black, you can post up yourself for others to admire and reblog/retweet/repost. You’ll tag or mention #Blackoutday,#TheBlackout, or #Blackout for it to count. You’ll scroll through the tag and reblog, retweet or repost other photos within that tag to help support.

If you are not Black, non-Black People of Color or White, you’re just reblogging what’s in the tags to show your support. Tumblr’s tagging system works differently from other social media networks, so please look refer to here:

Also, look for people with low notes and show them some love as well.

Should I refrain from posting my pictures on #BlackoutDay if I’m not Black?

We’re not asking you to modify your behavior on any social media networks (especially Tumblr). You can continue using them as you see fit. We’re simply asking that you do not tag/mention your posts with #TheBlackout or #BlackoutDay, or #Blackout.

Can I post pictures of my favorite celebrities (or people that are not related to me)?

For this day, we’re asking that you do you. No celebrities or famous people (Unless they post up pictures of themselves and tag it. Then it’s all fair game.) We’re trying to give “regular people” a chance to shine. (Yes, this request applies to the corporations and media as well. Put your staff up instead!)

You’re not limited to photos and selfies. You can do GIFs or Videos (any span). Just make sure it’s originally created by you (or for you), featuring you (or you and your friends). Self-portrait artwork? Acceptable as well. Original Characters are welcome as well (as long as you made them).

I participated before and I didn’t get as much notes as everyone else!

We are sorry to hear that. We are taking steps to educate people about the movement, but there’s only so much we can do on our end. There are things to consider to get your numbers up. Here’s a post with a few suggestions from a Tumblr user (link to original post)

Remember, every time someone posts in the tag, it helps push the tag up, making it popular. With that said, people are going to be overlooked. But keep trying… This day is about celebrating, not competition!

When you say “part-Black” does this mean “mixed race” or “biracial”?

Short answer:

Yes.

Long answer:

This is probably one of the most controversial questions regarding this event.

If you are bi-racial and/or mixed race and identify as black on a day to day basis, awesome. If you do not identify as Black or if you use your Blackness only as a convenience, then maybe this may not be a good look for you.

You should be comfortable in your skin before taking this on and no one should pressure you into doing so. You’re free to jump in when you’re good and ready.

Will be people protesting the day by bombing the tags with irrelevant and maybe explicit images?

There are forces that will want to spoil this event/hashtag with protests ranging from complaining to the extreme.Our advice is the following:

If you see someone using the tags and they post something not related, click on ignore (or scroll right past them or block). If you see a blog (or account) that was created purposely to spam the tag, report them.

If you allow anonymous asks, you might want to take that off for the day. You might also want to disable “submits” so you don’t get pictures… or other things… that you didn’t ask for.

Also, do not talk about the blog(s) that are doing this. Don’t reblog posts about them. Don’t anger people. Basically, don’t give them ANY shine whatsoever. They just want to cause this chaos. People are going to hate regardless, so don’t let it stop you. The people who want to do this are in the minority, anyway.

We have volunteers that are willing to lend a hand to make sure the tags stay clear of explicit images and there’s a master list circulating to block known offenders beforehand.

Tumblr has a “block” feature and made it so that you can prevent those that want to harass you from interacting with your blog and it’s content. Be sure to utilize it if you feel unsafe. If you are participating on another platform, be sure to look into their blocking feature and harassment policies as well.

For Tumblr, can I use the tag if I’m reblogging pictures?

It is safe to reblog and tag pictures with the official tags. Only original posts will be seen when the tags are searched. As long as you refrain from mentioning #BlackoutDay or #TheBlackout anywhere on your original posts, you should be safe.

I’m from the Media/Press. How can I get in touch with you about this event?

While we accept interview requests, here are a few things to keep in mind.

To prevent spamming, the best way to contact us with immediate concerns would be via Twitter to our Twitter account, via our official Tumblr account. If you have a more extensive interview request, you can email us at team[at]theblackout.org and we’ll get back to you ASAP.

We’re available for live interviews with advanced notice.

Are there any “official accounts” for this hashtag/event?

Before March 6, 2015 there were no official accounts and all material were hosted on nukirk’s blog, whatwhiteswillneverknow.com

However, the day of the event, parody accounts popped up. So, we have taken official accounts as well as this website to help centralize the movement.

Beyond the ones mentioned here, there are no other official accounts. Any accounts claiming to be run by #TheBlackout team are fraudulent and should be reported to us so we can take action on removing them.

Some people are using the tags and it’s not #BlackoutDay.

Our scheduled days are sort of our “Break the Internet days”. They are chosen to make really big waves across all our platforms and to create buzz. People are totally free to use the tags every day! However, we do ask that you treat the tag with the same respect, no matter when you use it.

\ Connections

We got connections all over the web. Tap into our feeds from here!
Check out these Instagram pics!

Instagram did not return a 200.

What We're Saying on Twitter

RT @theblckout: Just curious... How would you feel if we host a monthly chat session to discuss items within the Black community? Would you… 21 hours ago